It was the summer of 1992; Barcelona was hosting the Olympics capturing the imagination of millions. The 400 Meters individual event was underway. British athlete Derek Anthony Redmond, one of the medal winning prospects was ready to take off with the race, but the race was not the same for Derek when it began. After few meters of sprint on the track, the most nightmarish moment for any athlete to happen on a race day accidently happened to Derek. He tore his hamstring and started limping on the track with one leg, but to everyone’s surprise he didn’t stop running but persisted with his slow hop.
Then the most famous moment in the history of Olympics took place which will never be forgotten by anyone present in that arena. Seeing his son’s suffering, Derek Redmond’s father ran through the galleries and jumped on the track to hold his ailing son in his arms. He ran the whole race along with his son supporting him and helping him complete it. The spectators left unmoved watching these scenes and gave a standing ovation at the end of the race. This incident left many in tears and made them experience humanity at its best. Even years after this happened; it is still one of the most admired incidents all over the world.
A Father is a special person for any child. He supports, loves, guides and does his best to shape his child, but above all he is someone who will be with you in your times of difficulty. It is a saying that Father is the pillar of the family and how true it is. Every father is special to his kid and to remember and honor them on this special day is something wonderful. I thank my father for all he has done; he has been a pillar of strength to me.
The Derek Redmond incident is truly remarkable not only because of his resolute but also for his Father’s love. As we celebrate this day to remember our fathers, I feel it is worthy to know about our Heavenly father, who is the Source of all things. The Bible talks about a father in Luke 15:11-32 where His love is explained in its completeness. It is the story of a son who went against his Father’s will and left for a far away land to live on his own. But his life became a mess after he left his dad. One day he realized that the life he lived with his father was the best and the life he is living now is nothing but hell. He came back to his father and his father seeing him from far went ahead, hugged and received him home. What does this story convey? It conveys God’s love for us.
Many times we forget our creator God who created us and loves us unconditionally. In this story, the son went back to his father in his most difficult time knowing that there is no one else in this whole world that he can go to except his father, and he did exactly that. In our most difficult times, we go to many people for help but we forget that there will be no one else other than God who can help us in difficult phases. God is our Heavenly Father. Psalm 103:13 says “As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him”. God is compassionate beyond measure. He cares for every detail of our life and He wants us to experience His love through his Son Jesus. How can I experience His love through Jesus Christ is our question many a times? John 1:12 says “As many as received Him (Jesus), to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His (Jesus) name. Jesus is the only way to have relationship with God our maker and this relationship will help us to stand through our difficult times. This relationship delivers us from sins, sickness, suffering, pain and gives us strength in our weaknesses.
This Father’s day, let’s not thank our earthly Fathers alone but also our Heavenly Father, who loves us beyond our comprehension. Happy Father’s day!!!
Firm Foundations 